Rotary cutting or creasing machine

ABSTRACT

A rotary cutting or creasing machine is disclosed having upper and lower drums between which material to be cut is passed on a conveyor belt, the upper drum being surrounded by a cylindrical sleeve of a diameter greater than the drum and supported by a removable end support in such manner that the sleeve may be withdrawn from one end and replaced by another sleeve.

United States Patent Inventor Charles Robinson Henshaw Street Works,Lady Street Entrance, Henshaw Street, Oldham, Lancashire, England Appl.No. 776,911

Filed Nov. 19, 1968 Patented Mar. 2, 1971 Priority Nov. 22, 1967 GreatBritain 53145/67 ROTARY CUTTING OR CREASING MACHINE 19 Claims, 5 DrawingFigs.

U.S.C1 83/339, 83/346, 83/663, 93/582 Int. Cl ,3 B26d 1/28 Field ofSearch 1 83/339,

346, 347, 663. 678; 93/58 l 58.2, 58.2(Flex) [5 6] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 1,577,619 3/1926 Gammeter 83/346X 2,812,79811/1957 Van Antwerpen et al... 93/58.lX 3,192,809 7/1965 Crouch et a1.83/346X 3,272,046 9/1966 Crouch et al7 83/346X 3,276,306 10/1966 Winkleret a1 83/346X Primary Examiner-William S. Lawson Attorney-Carlos ATorres ABSTRACT: A rotary cutting or creasing machine is disclosedhaving upper and lower drums between which material to be cut is passedon a conveyor belt, the upper drum being surrounded by a cylindricalsleeve of a diameter greater than the drum and supported by a removableend support in such manner that the sleeve may be withdrawn from one endand replaced by another sleeve Patented March 2, 1971 4 Sheets-Sheet 1Patented March 2, 1971 4 Sheets-Shut 2 bUUtUE will-vi Patented March 2,1971 3,566,734

4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented March 2, 1971 3,566,734

4 Sheets-Sheet FIE- .4.

ROTARY CUTTING R CREASING MACHINE The invention relates to rotarycutting or creasing machines.

Rotary cutting or creasing machines have been proposed which includecooperating rotary drums or rollers one of which carries steel rulestrips forming'a pattern of cutters, material to be cut or creased beingfed through the nip between the rollers and being cut or creased by thepattern of cutters.

A disadvantage of such machines as originally proposed was that theentire roller had to be changed if a different cutter pattern wasdesired. This called for the provision of a number of interchangeablerollers equal to the number of different patterns requiring to be cut bythe one machine. The rollers are extremely expensive and hence thisarrangement is not commercially practical, where a number of differentpatterns are required for relatively short runs. It has also beenproposed to provide detachable forms of arcuate cross section whichcould be attached to the roller surface and while this is animprovement, a number of undesirable features are still evident. Forexample, as the arc of the forms is generally around or just over 180,almost half of the roller surface serves no cutting function whichrenders the machines unsuitable for continuous feed of material from asupply roll due to the large wastage.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate theabove disadvantages.

According to the invention there is provided a rotary cutting orcreasing machine including a roller or drum cooperating with anothersurface to form a nip, means for transmitting drive to said roller, andmeans enabling a cylindrical sleeve of a diameter greater than that ofsaid roller and carrying cutting and/or creasing means to be removablylocated around said roller for rotation in conjunction therewith.

Preferably said other surface is that of a further roller, andadjustable support means is provided comprising rolling members mountedon arms located on opposite sides of said firstmentioned roller andmounted for pivotal movement to and from said first-mentioned roller.Alternatively, said support means may comprise bars located outwith saidfirst-mentioned roller and slidable in a direction normal to the axisthereof, said bars carrying rolling members for engagement with theinner peripheral surface of said sleeve.

Preferably also, said first-mentioned roller is carried in axiallyspaced bearings at one end and in a detachable end support at the otherend whereby the end support may be removed to enable said sleeve to beslid on or off the roller from that end.

Preferably also, said sleeve is provided at at least one end thereofwith an annular driving ring of hard resilient material engageable witha conveyor belt passing through the nip between said rollers so thatsaid belt and said further roller are driven in synchronism withrotation of said first-mentioned roller. The peripheral surface of saidfurther roller may be roughened in the area below said ring to improvetransmission of drive to said further roller.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided foruse with a rotary cutting or creasing machine including a roller ordrum, and a cooperating surface forming a nip with said roller acylindrical sleeve which may be located around said roller and carriescutting and/or creasing means. Preferably the sleeve is provided at atleast one end thereof with an annular driving ring of hard resilientmaterial engageable to transmit drive to said surface from said roller.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of exampleonly, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rotary cutting or creasing machineaccording to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one end of the machine withits cover removed to show interior detail;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view showing certain details of themechanism of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic end view of an alternative embodiment; and

FIG. 5 is a part-sectional plan view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 5, the machine includes an upper roller 5 and alower roller 6 mounted on shafts 7, 8 respectively. Shaft 7 is drivinglyconnected to an electric motor 9 by a chain drive 10. One end of theshaft 7 is supported in axially spaced bearings carried in supports 12,and the other end is supported in a removable end support 15 detachablysecured to the machine frame in a manner described in greater detailhereafter. A conveyor belt 16 passes between the two rollers and servesto support material to be cut and to convey same through the nip betweenthe rollers.

A sleeve 17 is mounted on the upper roller 5 and is providedon its outerperipheral surface with a pattern of cutters 18. These comprise stripsof steel rule bent to the desired shapes and screwed on to studs secureddirectly to the surface of the sleeve. The sleeve is provided with endplates 19 welded thereto and is supported and prevented from twistingrelative to the roller 5 by rolling members in the form of wheels 20carried on pivot arms 21 at opposite sides of the sleeve. The arms maybe swung about their pivot axes by rotation of threaded rods 22 pivotedto the machine frame, and the arms at opposite sides of the machine areinterconnected for rigidity by cross braces. 23. The pivot points of thearms are selected such that irrespective of the sleeve diameter, pivotaladjustment of the arms results in the wheels engaging the sleeveapproximately at its widest part. If desired, however, the pivot pointscould be altered, and provision for both pivotal and vertical movementof the wheels could be incorporated to enable engagement at the widestpart of sleeves of different diameters.

A pair of annular driving rings 25 of hard rubber and canvas compositionare secured to the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve, one adjacenteach end thereof, and engage the conveyor belt 16 to trap same betweenthe upper and lower rollers so that the belt and the lower roller aredriven in synchronism with rotation of the upper roller. This frictiondrive may be enhanced by knurling the surface of the lower drum at theregions below the driving rings 25.

In order to enable removal of the sleeve from roller 5 and itsreplacement by an alternative sleeve, the end support 15 is located in aslideway 27 in the machine frame, the slideway having inwardly inclinedend faces 28. In addition a pair of locking levers 29 are providedconnected to lockshafts 30 located in grooves in the base of the endsupport. As best seen in FIG. 3, each lockshaft has a flattened face 31such that when the flattened face is directed downwardly (as shown atthe left of FIG. 3) it lies flush with the surface of the slideway andenables withdrawal of the end support. When the levers 29 are rotated totheir locked positions the lockshafts 30 force the end support slightlyupwards such that its base locks against the end faces 28. In additionend collars 33 on the lockshafts project below the slideway 27 when thelockshafts are in locked position, and in this way withdrawal of the endsupport from the frame is prevented. These end collars clear theslideway when the lockshafts are in the release position, as shown inthe left of FIG. 3.

With the end support removed the sleeve 17 requires to be lowered toenable the end flange 19 at the end opposite to that from which thesleeve is withdrawn to clear the upper roller 5. For this purpose thelower roller shaft 8 is mounted in bearing blocks 35 which may be raisedand lowered on guides 36 (FIG. 2) by rotation of handwheels 37 at eachside of the machine. This serves to lower the lower roller 6, conveyorbelt 16 and sleeve 17 relative to the upper roller.

In operation, the motor drives the upper roller 5 which drives thesleeve 17 and lower roller 6 in synchronism. Material to be cut orcreased is fed between the sleeve 17 and the lower roller 6 on conveyorbelt 16 and is engaged by the cutters. The type of rule used willdetermine whether the cutters completely or partially sever the materialor only crease same, and/or the spacing may determine the extent ofcreasing or cutting. As the entire peripheral surface of the sleeve isused, the diameter of which is determined by the length of patternrequired, continuous feed is possible with negligible wastage. Themachine may be used to cut or crease carpets, woven fabrics, cardboard,plastic sheets and the like. in order to protect the conveyor belt ablanket of a suitable material, such as canvas, may be secured theretosuch that the cutters cut the canvas but not the conveyor belt itself.

If it is desired to cut another shape, the arms 21 are pivoted clear ofthe sleeve, the locking levers 29 are moved to their unlocked positionand the handwheel 37 at that end of the machine is rotated slightly tobreak the seal between the base of the end support 15 and the end faces28 of the slideway 27. The end support is then free to slide clear ofthe machine frame. Thereafter the handwheels 37 at both ends of themachine are rotated in turn to lower the roller 6, conveyor belt andsleeve to an extent such that the sleeve can be withdrawn over the upperroller and an alternative sleeve fitted. The lower roller is thanraised, the end support 15 located and locked in position and the arms21 pivoted into engagement with the new sleeve.

Referring to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, this differs fromthe above arrangement in the manner of supporting the sleeve relative tothe upper roller. A pair of parallel bars 40 extend between and arebolted to the end supports, and support adjacent their ends transverselyslidable bars 41 carrying wheels 42. The bars 41 may be secured indesired transversely adjusted positions by bolts 43 passing throughslots 44 in the bars 41 and screwed into the bars 40. Thus the effectivewidth of the framework comprising bars 40, 41 and wheels 42 may bevaried.

If it is desired to cut another shape the end support 15 is removedafter unbolting the bars 40, and the bars 41 are moved laterally inwardsto take the wheels 42 clear of the sleeve 17, access to the bolts 43being gained through the open ends of the sleeve. The latter may then belowered and slid off the roller 5 in a manner similar to the firstembodiment, and replaced by a sleeve with a different cutter pattern andpossibly also of a different diameter. Once the new sleeve has been slidinto place, the lower roller, conveyor belt and sleeve are raised, thebars 41 are moved outwards till the wheels 42 contact the innerperipheral surface of the new sleeve, and the end support is replacedand the bars 40 secured thereto.

By virtue of the above embodiments the entire surface of the sleeve 17is used, enabling continuous feeding of material to be cut withoutunnecessary waste, and the sleeve may be readily replaced by a sleevewith a different cutter pattern and/ or different diameter therebyavoiding the expense of acquiring a large number of rollers, the cost ofsleeves being considerably less than that of new rollers. Moreover, theweight of the sleeves is such that they can be readily handled manuallywithout requiring the use of lifting gear.

Many modifications may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention. These include the following:

1. the wheels 20 or 42 could be replaced by rollers extending along thefull length of the sleeve;

2. the cross braces connecting the laterally adjustable supportingwheels 20 of the first embodiment could, if desired, carry a metal orlike curved safety guard arranged to extend over the sleeve;

. the bars 41 of the second embodiment could be arranged,

by means of a rack and pinion arrangement for example,

to move outwards and inwards in unison to the same extent by rotation ofa handle readily accessible from outwith the sleeve;

the material to be cut could be fed in in sheets if desired;

. The sleeve could be fitted to the bottom roller;

. the top and bottom rollers could both be driven or neither could bedriven, the drive being taken from the conveyor;

7. in the case of the second embodiment the upper roller couldincorporate annular grooves in its surface for cooperation with annularridges or rings secured internally of the sleeve;

8. the sleeve and the upper roller could be interconnected by gearing,though this restricts the number of sleeve sizes useable and has otherdisadvantages besides being expensive;

9. the rollers may take the form of hollow drums to save weight andcost;

10. the conveyor belt 16 need not be trapped between the ends of theupper and lower rollers or between the drive rings 20 and the lowerroller; it could instead be independently driven. It is also possible toomit the lower roller and form the nip purely between the upper rollerand the conveyor;

1 l. locating pins may be secured to the surface of the sleeve betweenthe cutters in order to grip the material to be cut and propel samepositively through the nip;

l2. rubber or like resilient pads may be located alongside the cuttersto push the material clear of the cutters after passing through the nip;

13. the drive arrangement could be modified, for example byincorporating a worm drive at the end of the roller shaft and a V-beltdrive to the motor via a variable speed gearbox;

14. the manner of enabling release and removal of the end support 15could be modified in other ways apart from those described; geared downelectric motor controlled by a pushbutton and upper and lower limitswitches could be used;

15. the sleeve could be in the form of two semicylindrical parts hingedtogether or adapted to be bolted around the roller, such that release ofthe hinge or bolts enables the sleeve to be removed radially instead offrom one end;

16. the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve and/or the outerperipheral surface of the upper roller could be provided with rubber orother friction linings to enhance transmission of drive therebetween;

17. the sleeve may be unsupported, though some form of support ispreferable;

18. the upper roller and the sleeve need not be in peripheral contact.The roller shaft could be vertically adjustable and each sleeve providedwith a series of axially spaced bearings such that the sleeve and drumwere coaxial but the drum position varied in accordance with thediameter of the sleeve;

19. the bearing for the lower drum could be lowered under pushbuttoncontrol using a geared down electric motor acting between upper andlower limit switches in place of the handles 37.

20. the pattern of cutters may be replaced by a single cutter bladeextending parallel to the sleeve axis to cut into pieces a continuoussheet of material fed, for example, directly from a calender. Otherarrangements of single or multiple cutting and/or creasing blades mayalso be used.

Othermodifications within the ambit of the invention may readily occurto those skilled in the art.

1 claim:

1. A rotary cutting or creasing machine including a roller or drumcooperating with another surface to form a nip, means for transmittingdrive to said roller, a cylindrical sleeve of a diameter greater thanthat of said roller and carrying cutting and/or creasing means, andmeans to enable said sleeve to be removably located around said rollerfor rotation in conjunction therewith with the axis of said sleeveoffset from the axis of said roller.

2. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 1, whereinsaid roller and said sleeve are arranged such that the outer peripheralsurface of the roller contacts the inner peripheral surface of saidsleeve.

3. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 2, includingadjustable support means engageable with said sleeve to support same inrelation to said roller.

4. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 3, whereinsaid support means comprises rolling members mounted on arms located onopposite sides of said roller and mounted for pivotal movement to andfrom said roller.

5. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 4, whereinsaid arms are pivoted such that, irrespective of the sleeve diameter,pivotal adjustment of the anns results in the rolling members engagingthe sleeve approximately at its widest part.

6. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 3, whereinsaid support means comprise bars located outwith said roller andslidable in a direction normal to the axis thereof, said bars carryingrolling members for engagement with the inner peripheral surface of saidsleeve.

7. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 3, whereinsaid other surface is that of a further roller.

8. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 7, whereinsaid first-mentioned roller is located above said further roller, therebeing a conveyor belt passing through the nip between said rollers tocarry material to be cut or creased therethrough.

9. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 1, whereinsaid roller is carried in axially spaced bearings at one end and in adetachable end support at the other end whereby the end support may beremoved to enable said sleeve to be slid on or off the roller from thatend.

10. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 9, whereinsaid end support is slidably located in a slideway formed in the machineframe, there being releasable locking means operable to secure said endsupport against sliding and to release same for removal.

11. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 9, includingmeans enabling enlargement of the nip between said roller and saidcooperating surface to facilitate endwise removal of said sleeve.

12. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 8, whereinsaid further roller is provided with a shaft rotatable in bearingsvertically slidably mounted in the machine frame whereby verticalmovement of said bearings lowers said roller, conveyor belt and sleeverelative to said upper roller to facilitate endwise removal of saidsleeve.

13. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 8, whereinsaid sleeve is provided at at least one end thereof with an annulardriving ring of hard resilient material engageable with said conveyorbelt.

14. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 13, whereinthe surface of said further roller is roughened in the areacorresponding to said ring to improve transmission of I drivetherebetween. v

15. A rotary cutting or creasing machine including a pair of rotaryrollers or drums located one above the other and forming a niptherebetween, a conveyor belt passing through said nip for transporttherethrough of material to be cut or creased, means for driving saidrollers and said belt, a cylindrical sleeve of diameter greater thanthat of said upper roller and carrying cutting and/or creasing means, aremovable end support for said upper roller to enable said sleeve to beslid on and off said roller from one end thereof and adjustable supportmeans engageable with said sleeve to support same in peripheral contactwith said roller for rotation in conjunction therewith with the axis ofsaid sleeve offset from the axis of said upper roller.

16. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 1, includingsupport means for supporting said sleeve in relation to said roller,said support means being adjustable to accommodate sleeves of differentdiameters.

17. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 16, in whichsaid support means comprises arms on opposite sides of said sleeve andengageable therewith.

18. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 17, in whichsaid arms are pivotally mounted.

19. A rotary cutting or creasing machine as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid roller is carried in bearing means at one end and in a movable endsupport at the other end so that the end support may be moved to enablesaid sleeve to be slid on or off the roller from that end.

1. A rotary cutting or creasing machine including a roller or drumcooperating with another surface to form a nip, means for transmittingdrive to said roller, a cylindrical sleeve of a diameter greater thanthat of said roller and carrying cutting and/or creasing means, andmeans to enable said sleeve to be removably located around said rollerfor rotation in conjunction therewith with the axis of said sleeveoffset from the axis of said roller.
 2. A rotary cutting or creasingmachine according to claim 1, wherein said roller and said sleeve arearranged such that the outer peripheral surface of the roller contactsthe inner peripheral surface of said sleeve.
 3. A rotary cutting orcreasing machine according to claim 2, including adjustable supportmeans engageable with said sleeve to support same in relation to saidroller.
 4. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 3,wherein said support means comprises rolling members mounted on armslocated on opposite sides of said roller and mounted for pivotalmovement to and from said roller.
 5. A rotary cutting or creasingmachine according to claim 4, wherein said arms are pivoted such that,irrespective of the sleeve diameter, pivotal adjustment of the armsresults in the rolling members engaging the sleeve approximately at itswidest part.
 6. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim3, wherein said support means comprise bars located outwith said rollerand slidable in a direction normal to the axis thereof, said barscarrying rolling members for engagement with the inner peripheralsurface of said sleeve.
 7. A rotary cutting or creasing machineaccording to claim 3, wherein said other surface is that of a furtherroller.
 8. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 7,wherein said first-mentioned roller is located above said furtherroller, there being a conveyor belt passing through the nip between saidrollers to carry material to be cut or creased therethrough.
 9. A rotarycutting or creasing machine according to claim 1, wherein said roller iscarried in axially spaced bearings at one end and in a detachable endsupport at the other end whereby the end support may be removed toenable said sleeve to be slid on or off the roller from that end.
 10. Arotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim 9, wherein saidend support is slidably located in a slideway formed in the machineframe, there being releasable locking means operable to secure said endsupport against sliding and to release same for removal.
 11. A rotarycutting or creasing machine according to claim 9, including meansenabling enlargement of the nip between said roller and said cooperatingsurface to facilitate endwise removal of said sleeve.
 12. A rotarycutting or creasing machine according to claim 8, wherein said furtherroller is provided with a shaft rotatable in bearings verticallyslidably mounted in the machine frame whereby vertical movement of saidbearings lowers said roller, conveyor belt and sleeve relative to saidupper roller to facilitate endwise removal of said sleeve.
 13. A rotarycutting or creasing machine according to claim 8, wherein said sleeve isprovided at at least one end thereof with an annular driving ring ofhard resilient material engageable with said conveyor belt.
 14. A rotarycutting or creasing machine according to claim 13, wherein the surfaceof said further roller is roughened in the area corresponding to saidring to improve transmission of drive therebetween.
 15. A rotary cuttingor creasing machine inCluding a pair of rotary rollers or drums locatedone above the other and forming a nip therebetween, a conveyor beltpassing through said nip for transport therethrough of material to becut or creased, means for driving said rollers and said belt, acylindrical sleeve of diameter greater than that of said upper rollerand carrying cutting and/or creasing means, a removable end support forsaid upper roller to enable said sleeve to be slid on and off saidroller from one end thereof and adjustable support means engageable withsaid sleeve to support same in peripheral contact with said roller forrotation in conjunction therewith with the axis of said sleeve offsetfrom the axis of said upper roller.
 16. A rotary cutting or creasingmachine according to claim 1, including support means for supportingsaid sleeve in relation to said roller, said support means beingadjustable to accommodate sleeves of different diameters.
 17. A rotarycutting or creasing machine according to claim 16, in which said supportmeans comprises arms on opposite sides of said sleeve and engageabletherewith.
 18. A rotary cutting or creasing machine according to claim17, in which said arms are pivotally mounted.
 19. A rotary cutting orcreasing machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said roller is carriedin bearing means at one end and in a movable end support at the otherend so that the end support may be moved to enable said sleeve to beslid on or off the roller from that end.